Eriksen joined Inter Milan for £17million this week, six months before the end of his contract when he was free to leave Spurs for nothing.

Mourinho revealed that he had known Eriksen’s intentions from his first day at the club in November and said Spurs had used his transfer fee to buy Steven Bergwijn in a £25m deal from PSV Eindhoven.

“For a long time we knew. We didn’t tell because of a moral agreement with him but from the first day I arrived he told me he was not going to sign,” Mourinho said of Eriksen. “So then it was an experienced and intelligent way for me and Mr. Levy to manage the situation. For me, to try to have still a player without great motivations but still a player with a good sense of professionalism and respect for the club to give us what he could. And Mr. Levy on the business side managed to do a great deal with six months on his contract.

“I tried to persuade Toby [Alderweireld to sign a new deal] when Toby told me he was having some doubts but Christian told me the decision was made and no way [did I try to persuade him]. From that moment, I was just trying to build the team without him.